The Red and Black

Issue date: 1/7/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: LINDY DUGGER Sophomore Courtney McCool performs on the balance beam during Saturday's Gym Dog Sneak-A-Peek season preview at Stegeman Coliseum. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: LINDY DUGGER Tiffany Tolnay performs on the uneven bars as future Gym Dogs head coach Jay Clark spots her during Saturday's Gym Dog Sneak-A-Peek. [Click to enlarge]

The No. 1 Gym Dogs unofficially opened their 2008 campaign for a fourth consecutive NCAA National Championship with a Sneak-A-Peek being held for the first time at Stegeman Coliseum.

While the regular season does not begin until Jan. 11, the focus of Saturday's event from the outset was clearly on the meet that will take place in Athens at the end of April - the National Championship.

Head coach Suzanne Yoculan spent much of the meet trying to cultivate a home-floor advantage for the rest of the regular season and the April championship.

The time in between routines was centered on getting the spectators to join in the cheers that the Gym Dogs will use during the regular season. Four of Georgia's floor exercise routines call for fan participation, which was a concentration for the team in the off-season.

"It's always been a priority of mine to try to do crowd involvement," Yoculan said. "Definitely because we're hosting the National Championship, we want to get the crowd behind the routines as much as possible."

Yoculan also provided instant feedback to the spectators and the gymnasts over the microphone, critiquing and explaining the scoring for each routine.

In each of the first two events - the vault and the bars - senior Katie Heenan and junior Courtney Kupets were the only gymnasts to score a 9.9 or above.

Sophomore Grace Taylor led the Gym Dogs with a 9.9 on the balance beam, and freshman Cassidy McComb joined sophomore Courtney McCool with a 9.9 or above in floor exercise.

The team's hypothetical total score of 197.00 would have ranked as the fourth-lowest score during last year's season, leaving plenty of room for improvement as the 2008 campaign kicks off in Utah Friday.

"Even though you try and mentally get into the same mode, you know it's not a real meet," Yoculan said. "I think the girls put up their best effort, but I don't think they had the same adrenaline going that they will in competition."

Even so, Yoculan was encouraged by her team's response to the 3,500 spectators who turned out for the exhibition.

"You really need a starting point, especially with freshmen," Yoculan said. "You don't know whether or not they're going to go for it or hold back. I know we'll be a lot better next Friday."

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